Anger, death and robo-calls in Hialeah pit school board member and mayor against each other

Hialeah residents have been receiving pre-recorded phone messages
asking that the city police be removed from the investigation into an
accident that killed the daughter of a school board member — prompting
strong words from the city’s mayor.

Mayor Carlos Hernández said
that the so-called “robo-calls” demanding that the city police be
removed from the investigation is part of a campaign to politicize the
case.

“It’s an insult to Hialeah citizens and to our police,” said
Hernández in an interview. “This is a tragedy that has affected the
lives of many people and the attempt to use this type of tactics for
political or financial reasons outrages me.”

The taped voicemails, which began three weeks ago in English and
Spanish, call on the public to contact Hernández to ask him that the
Hialeah Police do not take part in the investigation of the car accident
that claimed the life of 21-year-old Andrea Castillo, daughter of Susie
Castillo, a member of Miami-Dade School Board.

The night of Oct.
19, Andrea had accompanied boyfriend Marco Barrio to get gasoline at a
gas station when his Jeep truck was hit by a patrol car carrying Hialeah
Detective Raúl Somarriba.

The taped messages denounce the fact
that neither the Hernández administration nor the Hialeah Police have
released information on the accident.

Comments

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Mr. Mayor-

I have always respected you but the reality is Hialeah has behaved very badly in this case by not being open. It certainly looks like you are trying to protect the police officer, if you are not why not release all the information and let an idependent agency investigate?

The truth is the what the families involved and residents of Hialeah deserve, please do the right thing and release the information.